This invention relates to safety straps for sports equipment, and specifically to a safety strap which is particularly suited for use with a snowboard.
The snowboard recreation device has become quite popular in recent years. A snowboard is essentially a cross between a ski and a surfboard and includes a substantially flat board, which may have a wooden or composite core and a smooth, slippery bottom surface. A pair of bindings is located on the top of the board with the major axes of the binding, i.e., those axes which parallel the axes of the feet of the user, extending at a near 45.degree. angle to the major, long axes of the snowboard.
One of the main uses to which snowboards are put is that of aerial acrobatics. As such, the bindings on a snowboard are not designed to release easily in the event of a fall, as are the bindings on conventional cross country or downhill skis. There is, nevertheless, concern that under certain circumstances the user may separate from the board, resulting in a snowboarder going in one direction while his snowboard goes in another. To this end, many winter recreation areas require the use of a safety strap on snowboards.
As with skis, snowboards are subject to theft. For this reason, a safety strap which provides a means for locking the snowboard to a fixed object is thought to be particularly advantageous.
A snowboard may weigh approximately 15 to 30 pounds, and be four to five feet in length. Carrying such an object is awkward. A carrying strap is of particular utility on a snowboard, but the provision of a permanent carrying strap or handle may create a hazardous condition if the strap or handle becomes entangled in brush or tree limbs.